Forum promotion of nuclear-free zone in power centres

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 11

Forum promotion of nuclear-free zone in power centres

PA Wellington Representatives of the South Pacific Forum countries are about to embark on an exercise designed to sell the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty to the nuclear weapons States.

A group of officials from New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands leave at the end of this month to discuss the treaty and its draft protocols with senior officials in Beijing, Moscow, Paris, London and Washington.

The group comprises forum officials who have been most involved with the treaty. It is to be led by Mr David Sadleir, of Australia, who presided over the forum group which produced the treaty document that was adopted by forum members in Rarotonga last August. New Zealand’s representative in the group is a deputy secretary of

Foreign Affairs, Mr Chris Beeby.

Mr Beeby said yesterday that the forum did not finally adopt the three protocols to the treaty but decided to seek consultation over them with the nuclear weapons States. Apart from material related to dumping of nuclear waste, the treaty itself says that the South Pacific States will not acquire nuclear weapons or allow them to be tested or based in their territory. It leaves each member country free to decide its own policy on port access.

The first protocol addresses the three countries outside the region which have territories within it — the United Kingdom (Pitcairn), the United States (American Samoa), and France (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna).

Protocol one asks those countries to apply the treaty prohibitions against acquisition, testing and de-

ployment of nuclear weapons in their territories.

The second protocol asks the five nuclear weapons sites to give a commitment not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against any party to the treaty. The third deals specifically with testing and invites all nuclear weapons States not to test anywhere in the region, including the oceans and atmosphere. Mr Beeby said that the group’s purpose was not to negotiate with the nuclear weapons States but to explain the treaty, hear comments and answer any questions.